A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend the morning with the Outreach Team from Boyle Street Community Services. The weather that day was a few degrees below zero but still cold enough to feel a chill after spending a few hours walking through the river valley. Having worked in the social sector for a number of years, it did not come as a surprise that there are people living outdoors in winter, but seeing their camps, putting a face to them and listening to their stories is an entirely different experience.

This morning, Glenn Taylor, the Leader of the Alberta Party was interviewed on Global TV. If you’d like to learn more about what we are all about, take a few minutes to watch the video:

In a recent article in the St. Albert Gazette, outgoing MLA for St. Albert Ken Allred offered some frank comments about the lack of real debate within the Legislature. The comments were quite candid, especially coming from a member of the PC Party who has seen the inner workings of government.  In the article, Mr. Allred states that, “That is one of my big disappointments is we don’t want to debate the tough issues. There is no debate that goes on in that legislature. It is just a bunch of silliness, half of it.” I encourage you to read the entire article for some additional comments.

In response to the article, I submitted the following Letter to the Editor: 

Legislature Grounds in Winter

In case you haven’t heard, we will be hosting a Pub Night and Silent Auction on Friday, October 28th at The Rink Sports Bar in St. Albert. Tickets are only $10. We have secured an excellent selection of silent auction items including signed Oilers memorabilia, paintings from some talented Alberta Party members, 2 excellent tickets to the Alberta Ballet production of “The Nutracker” and much, much more.

Earlier today, the Alberta Party released its policy on Energy and Environment. The policy, guided by input from Albertans across the province, offers a balanced look at how we must support a strong and innovative energy sector in the province while at the same time placing an emphasis on responsible environmental stewardship. As my fellow candidate Sue Huff has pointed out, it is nice to see these two policies together, rather than seeing environment and energy as an either/or proposition.

One of the major reasons that I made the decision to seek the Alberta Party nomination was my belief that voice of average Albertans is being lost in the political process. We need to find ways to ensure that citizens have an opportunity to express their viewpoints and have ready access to their MLAs.

Over the past number of months, we have seen several of the candidates for the PC Leadership speak out against funding decisions and legislation which they had previously voted in favour of. Perhaps they had spoken out against these decisions behind closed doors and their vote represented an act of caucus solidarity. While caucus solidarity may at times be necessary in the democratic process, it becomes a problem when solidarity is replaced by groupthink and the suppression of ideas.

After careful consideration, I am excited to announce that I will be seeking the Alberta Party nomination to run for MLA in St. Albert in the next provincial election. I have made the decision to seek the nomination for a number of reasons.  To begin with, I believe that it is time to restore the voice of Albertans in our political system.  The Alberta Party has committed to allowing free votes for their MLAs, ensuring that the needs of constituents will be the first and foremost concern of elected MLAs.  The Alberta Party has also spent considerable time over the past year listening to the voices of Albertans and compiling the themes from these discussions as a basis for policy.